Casa de ferreiro, espeto é de pau: gestão de recursos hídricos em duas organizações universitárias

As water is essential for human survival and university organizations are responsible for spreading new knowledge and values through teaching, research and extension, this paper examined how two university organizations deal with a most precious resources, the Water, through its environmental management activities. To communicate the survey, this article is structured in three parts: the first is a brief reflection on environmental management in the university hospitals and the issue of water resources, then presents the methodological procedures for the conduct of research. Finally, we present the empirical evidence from case studies and discussions relevant to the research, followed by proposals on best practices in managing water resources that universities could adopt under review. It can be concluded that the possession of knowledge and cutting-edge research in several areas that universities do not provide an exemplary way to manage their water resources, ie, isolated and fragmented initiatives of Colleges ALPHA and BETA do not guarantee the environmental sustainability of campus, a As one can see that the units are not achieving academic success in the overflow of its knowledge and research for an effective internal environmental management, especially its water resources.

Cryptococcus haglerorum, sp nov., an anamorphic basidiomycetous yeast isolated from nests of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens

A yeast strain (CBS 8902) was isolated from the nest of a leaf-cutting ant and was shown to be related to Cryptococcus humicola. Sequencing of the D1/D2 region of the 26S ribosomal DNA and physiological characterization revealed a separate taxonomic position. A novel species named Cryptococcus haglerorum is proposed to accommodate strain CBS 8902 that assimilates n-hexadecane and several benzene compounds. Physiological characteristics distinguishing the novel species from some other members of the C. humicola complex are presented. The phylogenetic relationship of these strains to species of the genus Trichosporon Behrend is discussed.

Metabolism of plant polysaccharides by Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, the symbiotic fungus of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens L.

Atta sexdens L, ante feed on the Fungus they cultivate on cut leaves inside their nests. The fungus, Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, metabolizes plant polysaccharides, such as xylan, starch, pectin, and cellulose, mediating assimilation of these compounds lay the ants, This metabolic integration may be an important part of the ant-fungus symbiosis, and it involves primarily xylan and starch, both of which support rapid fungal growth. Cellulose seems to be less important for symbiont nutrition, since it is poorly degraded and assimilated by the fungus. Pectin is rapidly degraded but slowly assimilated by L. gongylophorus, and its degradation may occur so that the fungus can more easily access other polysaccharides in the leaves.

Effects of leaves of Ipomoea batatas (Convolvulaceae) on nest development and on respiratory metabolism of leaf-cutting ants Atta sexdens L. (Hym., Formicidae)

Laboratory colonies of the leaf-cutting ants Atta sexdens feed daily with leaves of Ipomoea batatas showed ant mortality and a significant decrease in the size of the fungal garden after the second week, with complete depletion of nests after 5 weeks of treatment. The mean oxygen consumption rate of these ants was higher than the control (ants collected from nests feed with leaves of Eucalyptus alba), suggesting a physiological action of the leaves of I. batatas on the ants in addition to the effect of inhibiting the growth of the fungal garden.